DemocracyNext

DemocracyNext is an international research & action institute focused on scaling high quality, empowered, and permanent citizens’ assemblies. Across the globe, people lack agency to shape their destinies. Governance systems are failing to address hard, complex issues. And those in power are not accountable to their citizens. We want to change this. At DemocracyNext, we believe in a more just, joyful, and collaborative future, where everyone has meaningful power to shape their societies. We work to shift who has power and how we take decisions in government and in institutions of daily life like workplaces, schools, and museums. Citizens’ assemblies are brave spaces for creative problem solving, designed for exercising our collective intelligence, engaging with complexity, and finding common ground. At their heart are three key ideas – sortition (selecting decision makers by lottery), deliberation (collectively weighing evidence for shared decisions), and rotation (taking turns representing, and being represented by others). Our hypothesis is that if people have greater agency in decision making, the ripple effects contribute to a thriving, resilient society of active citizens, where people have stronger trust in one another, a meaningful sense of belonging, and are less polarised. Citizens’ assemblies lead to more legitimate and informed decisions, policies, and resource allocations. Learn more on our website, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and inspiring stories.